by USA TODAY

by USA TODAY

BOSTON (AP) - Hundreds of relatives, friends and well-wishers have wept together and hugged at the funeral of a semi-pro football player whose killing led to murder and weapons charges against former New England Patriots player Aaron Hernandez.

Odin Lloyd, 27, an acquaintance of Hernandez, was found shot to death near Hernandez's home in North Attleborough, Mass., on June 17.

Mourners gathered at Church of the Holy Spirit in Boston's Mattapan neighborhood Saturday morning for Lloyd's funeral.

Lloyd played for the Boston Bandits and was dating the sister of Hernandez's fiancee. Members of Lloyd's team showed up for the funeral in their uniforms and chanted his name as pallbearers placed his casket in a hearse outside the church.

The crowd of mourners was so large that some could not find room inside the church for the two-hour service.

Police arrested Hernandez on Wednesday at his home and charged him with orchestrating the execution-style shooting, plus five gun-related violations.

Prosecutors allege Hernandez arranged the killing because Lloyd talked to the wrong people at a nightclub.

Hernandez has pleaded not guilty and is being held without bail, while two other men are also in custody. Prosecutors allege the three suspects were in a car with Lloyd shortly before his death.

Hernandez's lawyer argued in court that the case is circumstantial. He said Hernandez, who was cut by the Patriots the day he was arrested, wanted to clear his name.

Authorities have said trouble that led to Lloyd's killing happened June 14, when Lloyd went with Hernandez to a Boston nightclub. Hernandez became upset when Lloyd began talking with people Hernandez apparently didn't like, prosecutors said.

On June 16, the night before the slaying, a prosecutor said, Hernandez texted two unidentified friends and asked them to hurry to Massachusetts from Connecticut.

A few minutes later, he texted Lloyd to tell him he wanted to get together, prosecutors said. Authorities say Hernandez, Carlos Ortiz and Ernest Wallace picked up Lloyd at around 2:30 a.m. June 17, drove him to an industrial park near Hernandez's home and shot him five times. They have not said who fired the shots.

Prosecutors said an ammunition clip found in Hernandez's Hummer matched the caliber of casings found at the scene of Lloyd's killing.

Ortiz's attorney, John Connors, said he will seek bail for his client at the July 9 hearing. He described Ortiz as a "gentle person" and said he will advise Ortiz to plead not guilty to the gun charge he is facing.

Wallace surrendered in Miramar, Fla., on Friday, police said. Authorities had been seeking him on a charge of acting as an accessory after Lloyd's murder. Details of that allegation weren't released.

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